1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to attachments for allowing pipes and the like to be handled with standard forklift trucks and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various attachments have been developed for use with forklift trucks and the like to aid in the handling of logs, pipes and the like. See, for example, Dunham, U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,193; Eaves, U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,637; Eaves, U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,263; Lull, U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,157; Lull, U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,567; and Pemberton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,819. None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention.
Typical prior art mechanisms for use with mobile loaders or trucks to help handle elongated pipes and the like consist of a separate fork-grapple carriage assembly for being mounted on the boom or mast assembly of the truck in place of the standard fork carriage. See, for example, the carriage of the above-identified Lull '567 patent that includes a frame for being attached to the boom of a mobile loader and a pair of forks and coacting hold down-fingers attached to the frame to allow the carriage to lift and carry long pipe, conduit and the like.